Metropolis, Pt. 1: "The Miracle and the Sleeper"

My interpretation (keep in mind, this is MY OWN, not Petrucci's or DT's) (And yes, I know of the connection to Scenes From A Memory; I'm just saying, if this was a stand-alone, this is what it could be):

Two people, a boy and a girl, are telepathically connected; they are in two distant regions, but they know in their hearts that hey can't live without one another.

Enter the three dances: Death, Deceit, and Love.

The first dance, Death, could signify the death of the girl's parents, or of a close loved one. The girl feels extremely distraught, and somehow becomes linked to a boy in a far-off region.

The boy is also living life alone, with no one to watch over him, and becomes so attached to this connection, he can't live life without this mysterious person by his side.

That is when he decides to forsake all that he has known and search for this mysterious girl.

This is the second dance: Deceit.

The girl knows of this, and decides to find him, as well. He then tells her, "Just keep my heart in your eyes and we'll stay alive..."

And so, the journey begins.

Throughout the instrumental break, the two are hectically searching for each other, and when the break is over, the two find each other. Realizing this, they find out that their struggles' end can mean that they can now live the life they have pursued - a life together.

This is the third dance: Love, also known as the Dance Of Eternity.

This is what I could decipher from analyzing the lyrics for awhile. (This is my first time doing this and this is only MY opinion not the real meaning of the song.)

Metropolis is a song that tells us about the love in family. It is about a man who goes through stages of grief of the death of his wife. Metropolis is the man's wife who is pregnant and when she goes through childbirth she dies. We know she has a child because they describe her as having a gift when she returned home. She then gives birth and realizes that she is going to die. This is because he describes her as the sorrow and pain that she will never outgrow. Then she dies after giving birth Hence the first dance: Death.

He doesn't know what to do, as he still is a young man and wasn't prepared for raising a child all by himself. We know he's young because he describes himself as asleep, which could mean that he hasn't had his full awakening aka his adulthood. (I'm asleep, yet I'm so afraid)

As he realizes that no matter what, raising this child is his responsibility and he accepts it. (There is no more freedom)

He then remembers his own parents and thinks of the love and cherishment they gave to him. So he becomes more confident and believes that he can love and raise his new child even though his wife died. (I was told there's a new love that is born for each one that has died.) He realizes that this baby is a miracle too given to him.

There is no one to call on, he has no help and he is alone and afraid. He knows that he can't dream of his wife because she isn't there anymore and he knows he can't hold on to her any longer because that would be even more detrimental to his mental health. (I was told if you dream of the next world, you'll find yourself swimming in a lake of fire)

Also he misses when he was a child when he didn't have large responsibilities. He misses being sweet and innocent and happy hence why he says that it's all caught up to him as he is raising a new child.

The part where it talks about a bunch scenes from a memory. He is referring to his memories of his wife and how much he misses her. His wife made so many beautiful memories with them and now they are all gone because of her death. He then leads up to the conclusion that his wife ruined his life and deceived him by leaving him with such a large responsibility.

Now because of this resentment, he brings it on the kid and tells him how bad his mom was. (The city's cold blood teaches us to survive) He calls her death cold blooded because she left him with no reason. He tells his kid that they will stay alive even though he resents his wife.

Now in the instrumental part, he embarks on the journey of raising this said kid. And as they navigate hardships and peril of life.

The journey ends with him realizing that he was wrong and he then accepts the fact that his wife died. As he inches closer to death, the song echoes the fact that he still loves his wife very much and is eager to meet her. He knows that she is proud and happy of their child and she smiles at him. When he dies, they are finally reunited and then the final dance is love.

Yea! I love this to...and the part where "I was told there's a miracle for each one that has died...I was told there's a new love that has born for each one that has died..." that is just GAAAH!!!!....I can't hold for that... (What I mean is that it's so fucking, unbeliveble awsome!"!!!!!!=

This is before part 2 was even an idea... it was kinda a joke.

This story is that of Romulus and Remus.

I think this song is about being indoctrinated into religion as a child and finding out as an adult that he believes religion is not real. No afterlife. Since the first part of his life is living an illusion, he talks about how to deal with the inevitable. He finds piece in understanding that love is the source of eternal happiness.

Whoaah! brilliant! After reading these interpretations I finally know what this song is all about...

this is about Adam and Eve...

Whom in the beginning, shall never experience death! but however will learn that they shall go through the first eternal dance - death, we all die.

why should we die? because of the second dance eternal...deceit from the devil himself...

and in the end...God is oft forgiving...before Adam and Eve were even damned for their trespassing...before God even locked the door, they are forgiven...because there will be the third and last dance...The Dance of Eternity...which is LOVE...

and now I know that these guys are brilliant! Petrucci is a Godsent! ha ha!

I think the song is about someones dark past about a death and the need for an understanding leading to their religious awakening and how they found love in some one and in god. The first area is death which could have been a loved one or some family who he or she had grew up with under a different religious understanding or even an anti religious one. after this death there is a need for an answer to know what will happen after death. so this character abandons his life is other family his friends and even his old believes, that being deceit. then he finally finds love and an understanding when he meets metropolis who is either his love or an angel, their is also the idea that this character is about to die him self and he finally finds a reason to accept this death. the area where its stayed 'somewhere like a scene of a memory, their is a picture of a thousand words'. This could be a place in time and space where the memories that we have are recorded and that each memory gather to paint a picture of the sum of you and your being on earth, and in all idea, its gods intentions and his envision meant of you with idea of your creation, just like a master painter and his finest painting.

A popular theory is that it is about the founding of Rome (Metropolis) by two brothers (Romulus and Remus); however, it is an unofficial explanation.

this song right here...is how the whole story got started...Metropolis pt 2 - Scenes from a Memory is the rest...incase you didnt know..(its a whole ablum)

I've been a big DT fan for years and years, but it was only until a few months ago that I didn't own IAW. "Metropolis" has emerged as my fave song on the CD, although they're all brilliant. I love the musical interludes between lyrics, so satisfying (as Mike P would say) when it is resolved and James L sings "before the leaves have fallen..." I like to see these lyrics as being the story of a glitch: a girl gets murdered, she accidentally gets trapped in the mind of a young man 80 years later. The lyrical meaning is OK, nothing great, but I LOVE how the lyrics sound and I love to sing along with James L (much to the pain of my coworkers!). "Under a Glass Prison" gave "Metropolis" a run for it's money, but "The Miracle and the Sleeper" come out victorious in my opinion.